Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-12-06
lexpanses of Pacific seas. Moistened

expanses Of Pacific seas. Moistened
by the copious rains which have re-
Gently fallen, the seeds of grasses and
flowers have been set to terminate.
their latent life has been released
from its imprisonment, and under
the genial influence of such
days as Sunday, it has been
caused to break forth in delicate blades
of tender green. All the plains are
like an emerald sea with their spring
ing crops of grains and grasses. The
wheat and barley shed from the heads
last summer are now sprouting up for
o harvest of their own. The hardy
malua, as we call the mallow weed, is
among the most thrifty in this winter
growth. In the gardens roses are
ablush like on June day in the East.
Even the tender bloom OF the hello
trope is as fresh and fragrant as it
was in July. Laurustinus hedges
are in their prime glory, with great
wealth of bloom clustering amid the
waxy green of the leaves. Fuchsias
still show their flowers in perfection
aud the hibiscus stands out regal in
is big cardinal-red cups of bloom.
The callas are growing apace, and
many of the great white bells already
rise queenly in their perfection, as il
conscious of the fact that they are
daring and defying old Winter in his
own half of the year.
To revert to more prosaic things
than flowers, dwellers in this "Harpy
Valley"-more worthy the name than
that conjured up by the romancer's
fancy for the abode OF Rasselas-epjoy
as the results OF these genial days q
dietetic regime select enough to draw
the goWmets Of the earth to our shores.
The markets are supplied with delica-
cies SO plentiful that they come
within the reach of all.
On the tables of all the
citizens may be found every day in
these passing weeks an array OF fruits
of indigenous growth, which for excel
lence of quality ami range of variety
is almost past the scope of belief. The
first ripe oranges are just coming for
ward. The splendid apples flank
these in plethoric piles. japanese
persimmons stand by their side, join.
ing the choicest results of oriental
culture to our own. Grapes are still
found in prime condition as they come
fresh from the vines. The latest peach
es have not all disappeared, and as if to
join the hands of the outgoing autumn
with those of the coming spring as ii
appears fower-clad in the far-off dis
lance, strawberries may be had y
those who have forgotten the surfeit en-
eyed of this fruit last summer. In the
line of vegetables we may enumerate
new potatoes, sweets OF the same name,
lettuce as crisp as that of mid
summer, finely-colored tomatoes just
pi ,ked from the vines, Lima
beans, green peas and celery-and
still the list is not nearly complete.
If this is wintry weather, one may
well ask what, then, is spring? With
such an array from the flower bed and
vegetable garden, with the plows all
running in q thousand fields where
the seeds of the next harvest are being
scattered, with invalid ladies newly
rived from the East, frail and
weak as they are from the effects OF
rigorous winters, walking here in
golden sunshine, without furs, with
out wraps, or sitting on bright, flower
uncovered piazzas, or in sun-lit
rooms, is it any wonder we love our
beautiful land OF eternal sunshine and
perennial flowers?